Surfactants are utilized in a variety of applications for, e.g., dispersion, emulsification, wetting and foaming, across numerous industries such as coatings, adhesives, home care, personal care, construction, paper, inks and the like. Surfactants are often times contained in products such as paints and coating because they are necessary to stabilize the products or during manufacturing of the product. However, often times, the presence of surfactants in the end products negatively affect desirable properties in such end products. In paints, for example, the presence of excessive surfactants may contribute of increased water-sensitivity.
Emulsifiers are surfactants used in the preparation of polymers through a process called emulsion polymerization. Typically, such emulsifiers are understood to affect the mechanical stability and chemical stability, among others, of the resulting emulsions. Further, emulsifiers play a role in physical properties of the emulsions, such as viscosity, particle size, and the like. Emulsifiers also play a role in the physical properties of the films, such as weatherability, durability and adhesion.
The resulting latex is typically used in coating applications such as paints, inks, stains, etc. Once the latex-containing product has been applied to a surface as part of a protective or decorative coating, the surfactant is no longer needed or desired. The presence of the surfactant often degrades the moisture sensitivity of the coating. In addition, other coating properties can be negatively affected, such as adhesion to the substrate surface. It is typically understood that this negative effect is largely due to the mobility of the surfactant polymers. For example, locally high concentrations of surfactant molecules can form in the coating from the coalescence of surfactant-coated micelle spheres. When the coating is exposed to water, these unbound surfactant molecules can be extracted from the coating leaving thin spots or pathways to the substrate surface. This can result in a pinholing effect and attack of the substrate by water. Other undesired effects include blooming or blushing in a coating film, which occurs as a result of the film being put in contact with water, causing surfactant to migrate to the surface. As a result, the film can become hazy and lose its original sheen.